Past tense of 'full': to clean, thicken, and strengthen cloth by moistening, heating, and pressing.
From Old English 'fullian' and Latin 'fullo' (fuller, cloth worker), derived from an ancient root meaning to clean or prepare fibers.
Medieval fullers were powerful guild members—they literally walked on cloth for hours in warm soapy water, and the job was so physically demanding and economically valuable that fullers could control city politics.
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